Brrr…on --- …side of life... Just Do It! It’s more than a phone …it’s who we are! These are just but a few of the taglines popular brands across the world are using. As the world’s economies’ “catch a fever” (read recession), for marketers this present the unenviable task of rebranding whole economies and companies together with their brands.
This is evident too in the sporting world with whole teams and individuals seeking to sustain their growth and remaining relevant to their audience. As we go to Press, some of the more famous brands we may have known may no longer be in existence.
Anyone who can recall Le Coq Sportif, PanAm, Chicago Bulls, Fila, Kappa? These are some of the examples of brands that did not have what it takes to remain leaders in the market and as such have been relegated to lower rungs or been wiped out of the scene completely.
An important thing needs to be noted during recessionary periods. It’s a time to restructure and re-draft whatever made the company/product/brand remain relevant in its niche market. Some make cost-cutting measures; others take drastic action by closing shop while others will continue on the same trail hoping for the waves to subside.
Sports brands which have remained top over the years have shown respect to branding and the toil and sweat to execute this. This is never an easy a task and many a marketers and product developers who have been entrusted to undertake such bold acts can attest to this. Look at some examples such as the English Premier League- about 25 years ago; its main teams were involved in a nasty and forgettable European Champions Cup match that led to the banning of English teams for 2 seasons. This was a trying time for the League which was among the top fledging Leagues in Europe.
But during that time, the executives and British government officials decided to work and re-brand the game with focus being directed towards infrastructure development and fan safety, as well as the commercial...